The SOLDIER Within Me
by aStRalBlaSt
Summary: Capture.Escape.Repeat. Aerith is tired of her lifestyle of being constantly abducted by ShinRa. One day after escaping she found a helmet and SOLDIER uniform as a disguise to escape. Thinking this will be the lease of her new life, she ran away from home and employ herself to SOLDIER to have the normal life she wanted. ShinRa will not expect her since she's under their noses right
1. Mistake!

"This is all the data I have for that so-called Aerith Gainsborough," Cissnei put the papers on the table and slide it to Tseng's. "Any more information on her whereabouts?" He asked as he looked at the people around the room. "Very well then, you are dismissed. Tell me when you see her. She's very special to us."

The people then stood up from their chairs and left silently. While on the SOLDIER floor, Aerith, the one they were pursuing, was hastily moving from post to post to get away from the infrantryman pursuing her. As she tried to settle down and take a breather, she heard footsteps that made her panic and hid in the nearest room.

"How many floors do I have to go down to?" She asked to herself and collapsed on the floor. "Maybe I should have taken the stairs instead. No one will expect a research experiment to go in that way." She thought for awhile then sighed. She blew her bangs and leaned on a pod like thing for support. "I don't even think I have the strength to go down on a staircase that long. I think this building have 80 floors!"

"Zack, could you go easy on me? Battling you with squats is like challenging Sephiroth in a duel without weapons and potion!"

Aerith heard footsteps and voices from outside. She hastily stood up and panicked. She tried to crack open the pod thinking it could fit her but instead she saw a helmet and SOLDIER uniform inside of it. She gulped and locked the door as she put on her disguise.

"It's locked!" The man said as he opened the door. "Hey is someone there?" Zack shouted as loud as he can.

"Yes there is. Wait a second let me open it." She then tried to walk normally with the clothes and the helmet trying to fall from her head. "Why did you lock the room?" Zack's friend asked.

"Changing." Aerith coughed and said as hoarse as possible. "Huh? You shouldn't lock the door no one will peep." He said as strip his helmet and top. Aerith was shocked and tried to not look. Zack grinned and covered Aerith's helmet with a towel.

"You know, I haven't seen you before, are you a newcomer?" The man asked as she nodded. The towel fell from her helmet but she hastily took it and put it back to her head. The man turned around and saw Aerith. He found it very weird. She was looking left and right with a freakin towel on her head. She looked like a boy who will not survive upon taking the first step on the battlefield.

"Hey newcomer! You wore your uniform incorrectly. You have no belt. Obviously you have a big helmet and a bigger uniform." He said as he pointed from head to toe.

"Come on man. Give the guy a break." Zack said from the corner of the room. "But he looked like a defenseless puppy. No one should accept a boy like that even Cloud look more intimidating than that." His friend whispered to Zack.

"The exit is on the back. Take care of yourself now," Zack said and smiled at her. Aerith smiled and nodded. She bowed her head causing her helmet to almost fall. She hastily went out of the room and bid her goodbye.

"Take easy on him," Zack said as he dried his black spiky hair. "He was wearing a 1st class SOLDIER uniform. He is a rank higher than me! I can't accept this." His friend said as agitate from anger. Zack laughed and put his arms on his shoulder. "Kunsel calm down. Let's have another battle of squats instead."

"Now that I remember 1st class SOLDIERS shouldn't wear helmets."

"Now, now. Let's go to the training centre instead."

xXXx

"Mister! Mister! I'm lost please help." A cute boy tugged Aerith's pants and said. She then turned around, clueless. "What?"

"You're a girl!" The boy exclaimed and pointed her out. "No I'm not!" She shouted in a girl's voice. She then retained her composure and coughed. "What's wrong here my child?" She said in a hoarse masculine voice.

"A girl! A girl! A girl!" The boy shouted as he pointed out Aerith. People started to notice and started talking about it. Aerith then covered the boy's mouth by impulse and cried to him to be quiet.

"My child!" The mother's child shouted and accused Aerith as a kidnapper. She hit her a couple times but after her son explained she apologized and thanked Aerith for keeping him company. "I'm sorry for before. Thank you for taking care of my son." The woman bowed down and forced her son to do as well.

As they walked away, her son tugged her skirt and said, "Mom did you know that SOLDIERS can be girls?" Her mother laughed and tried to hush him down. "No son, he might only have a feminine build that's all."

"But Mom I touched her boobies!"

Aerith hearing their conversation walked hurriedly away before her disguise was completely discovered. After that incident, she made her way home perfectly smooth. No one cared about SOLDIER in the slums. People seemed to detest them there mainly because all of their sufferings below the plate were indirectly caused by ShinRa.

"Thank heavens, you're home." Her mother, Elmyra hugged her the moment she saw her in front of her doorsteps. But Aerith's strength was drained out and went directly to her room. It was completely understandable to her mother but deep inside her, she felt was Aerith stranger than before.

"I'm beat." Aerith said and tossed a bag she was carrying on the floor –the bag where she put her disguise on. She lied down on her bed and proceeded to fall asleep.

**_I want to be a normal kid. I want to experience what normal kids do. I want to free._**

As she said those words, flashes of memories come to her. She saw herself looking at the window seeing children like her playing outside. She saw herself chasing a white light but was put down by unknown forces behind her. And lastly she saw herself giving up and crying on her knees.

**I hate this! I hate this! I hate this! I hate this!**

She repeatedly said to herself as she wiped her tears. Then a strange warm light blinded her. When she looked up to see what it was, she saw the guy she met before wearing the brightest smile and extending his hands for her. She smiled and wiped her tears as she held his hands.

"Aerith," The guy said that woke her up. She sat up and recognized that it was her mother calling her. She wiped the tears and said to her mom to come in.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked to her mother. "Asleep? It's barely five minutes since you come up here." Her mother then gave her a cup of hot milk and sat beside her. "Is there something troubling you?"

"I'm tired of running away."

"Does that mean you will give in yourself?"

"No! I don't want to be constantly being chased and being captured. I want a normal life."

Elmyra sighed and hugged her daughter. "I'm surprised." She said that shocked her daughter. Aerith looked at her as her mother smiled. "It's the first time I saw you complain like this. I always pained to see you struggle alone. Now that I can hear what you feel, it made me happy. But—"

"But?"

"Be patient my dear. I know that the life you wanted will come sooner. Right now you need to be safe when the right moment comes." Elmyra stood up and went to the door. She turned around and smiled, "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Elmyra closed the door and left Aerith sitting on the foot of her bed. Aerith's eyes were full of determination. She stood up and nodded to herself. She took a piggy bank behind her closest and broke it open. Several gils popped around the broken piggy bank. She took it and the bag sitting on the far back of her bed. She opened the window and jumped from there.

"**Mom you are wrong. Life is about making mistake and I don't want to just stay here without making one. This will be my biggest mistake and the first step on my very own adventure!**"

Omake

Wall Market

Aerith: I would like to buy some pants and shirts for guys within my size.

Seller: Why is this for your boyfriend?

Aerith blushed as she pictured Zack. She nodded and blushed even more.

Seller: How cute. I will throw you another pair for free.

[A/N]

Hurray! This is a revival and a better version of my very first published fanfic here. It was first called _Meeting In An Alternate World_ then _Living Normally_ then the current title is "**_The SOLDIER Within Me_**" I changed the title because I think it didn't match the story and after the second revision –a revision I made poorly— I decided to write this one from scratch and expand it a little more.

The first time this story popped to my mind is when Aerith said to Cloud that she is cut out to be a SOLDIER because they are always chasing her. Then another story popped into my mind where the guy and the girl are in battlefield and tied to their jobs making their love life complicated. Then after rearranging it this is what happens.

I wanted to revive this old story of mine because I believe that it such a waste for people to read it at its current state. Trust me the old one is so sloppy but hey it's because I was just starting that time. Now after two years of staying here I think I learned many stuff to make this much more successful than before!


	2. Mentor

Cloud was walking casually at the SOLDIER floor when he saw Zack talking to Kunsel. It's been months seen they saw each other in a normal environment. He smiled and approached them. He greeted them and as he went closer and closer to them he saw another figure. He was bowing to Zack while Zack on the other hand had an embarrass look on his face.

"Hey guys."

"Please be my master." Aerith asked again as she bowed her head.

"You're the guy from before right?" Zack asked Aerith while pointing her. Aerith looked up and took Zack's hands and said, "Is that a yes?"

Zack slowly back away and removed her hands from his. "I don't know what to say." He avoided his gaze and looked from a far distance, finding a way to escape. He then saw Cissnei walking, carrying loads of boxes. He hastily went to her side and took the boxes from her and said, "Girls shouldn't carry heavy things like this. Let me take this. Where are you heading Cissnei?"

"You do know that these boxes are emp—" Zack then cut her off and whispered, "Please go along with me. There is someone on my tail."

"Someone?" She asked as she looked around. She raised her brow after seeing Kunsel and Cloud. Surely, they're not the one he is referring to except if he owed them money.

"Please I'm begging you." Aerith emerged from Cloud's back and continued to pester Zack. Cissnei nodded in silence and said to herself it was him. While Zack on the other hand, escaped by running away from her.

"He-hey! That box doesn't suppose to go there." Cissnei shouted to Zack. She sighed and turned to Aerith . "Would you like to accompany me on this mission on capturing Zack?" She smiled that made Aerith nodded in glee.

"Run, run away." Zack said, sprinting like crazy. Tseng opened the door from the briefing room after catching a glance at Zack. He called him inside, that Zack hastily accepted as a way out of Aerith's vision.

"Thanks Tseng. I owe you one." Zack put down the box on the floor and tried to catch his breath. Tseng didn't reply –a typical behavior of his— and sat on one of the chairs. He operated the computer and showed some pictures on the monitor.

"Some witness accounts said that this girl was last seen her in the SOLDIER Floor. Even the ones tailing her lost their track here. A girl will not vanish into thin air unless someone helped her." Tseng said as he gazed at Zack.

Zack smug and smiled, irritating Tseng. "Are you saying that I'm a suspect for this girl's disappearance?"

"You don't know the consequence of this act Zack. It will save the world. She's the key of the future."

"As if the future doesn't look grim enough. Tseng I don't know what you or the company are planning but please don't hurt a bystander just to get what you want." Zack glared and threatened him.

"What's happening here?" Cissnei asked breaking the cold atmosphere. The two turned to her and break contact with each other. Aerith, beside her, was shaking as she saw her pictures shown on the screen. Her sweat was so cold and her whole body was trembling with fear.

Zack turned and tried to make his way out of the room. Tseng called him and said, "Her name is Aerith Gainsborough Zack, brown hair and the same age as yours. Keep a look out." Zack didn't reply but he silently waved his hand and patted Aerith's helmet as he passed her by.

"Let's go kiddo."

* * *

The two then went back to Kunsel and Cloud. Zack smiled as if nothing happened just a while ago while Aerith was silent the whole time. Cloud noticed this and asked if she was okay. She instantly replied and said she was okay even though she was still trembling.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Cloud asked again.

"I'm fine." She said as her voice cracked.

Zack smiled and fondly patted her helmet again. Her worries then started to fade, feeling the warmth of his hands. She looked at him and smiled. Kunsel –noticing something weird—asked Cloud to lend him his ear and whispered, "Aren't those two looked like the puppy and the owner?"

The party was then cut short when Zack's phone ring and asked his immediate audience at Directior Lazard's office.

"Sir." Zack greeted Lazard as he saluted him.

"No need for formalities Zack." Lazard said and asked him to sit which he politely rejected. "On to business. A marsh near the Mythril Mine has grown a massive hoard of Midgar Zoloms and people are starting to worry about it. I want you to not entirely destroy the whole Midgar Zoloms there but decrease its size. Killing everything might ruin the ecosystem and the whole extinction of the said monster itself."

"You sure are wary about the Midgar Zoloms."

"The one who requested the job explicitly said to keep numbers down and not entirely killed them because the chocobos on their farm was the only transportation to travel across the marsh, killing them all means killing the business entirely."

"Smart Chocobo farmer."

"You may leave at once." He said as he permitted Zack to leave the room. "You may bring troops if you want but the gil reward will not increase."

"Killing Midgar Zoloms? Sweet." Cloud said, accepting Zack's offer of joining him.

"How about you?" Zack asked as he turned Aerith. "Now that I think about it. What's your name?"

"I'm…."

"I'm?"

Aerith started to panic. She hasn't prepared a name for her disguise yet. Mario? Luigi? Cloud? Ares? Leo? "I'm Roy." She said after all that turmoil in her head.

"So you're Roy huh? I'm Zack, Zack Fair." He pointed his self and smiled. He then pointed Cloud and introduced himself. "I'm Cloud Strife."

"And the one who just left is Kunsel, an avid messenger if you asked me." Zack added.

"Where do you live Roy?" Cloud asked. She was state in shock. She doesn't have a permanent house to live in. She's now currently sharing a room with a sick man at a large pipe near her house. "You don't have any house to live in?" Zack curiously asked while Aerith shyly nodded.

"I remember my first time here at Midgar. I was also the same. Why don't you live with me? Will just have to leave the first thing tomorrow after Roy is settled, okay guys?"

* * *

"Sorry it's a bit messy in here." Zack opened the door and kicked a box near the door. Aerith was surprised it was squeaky clean –well except for the box he kicked earlier. For someone who is not often home his place is super clean.

"This apartment has two rooms. Mine is in the back take that one beside you. You don't need to pay every month and pay only if you are able. I'm used to paying this on my own and I can handle it so don't stress yourself on paying. You're just starting, so take one step at a time." He pointed out and dropped Aerith's things on the floor. "Take off your helmet now. I bet it scorching hot in there."

"Cloud and Kunsel occasionally stay here when they are lonely at their pad. So be ready for those sleepless nights." He added as he disappeared from her sight.

Aerith then realized that accepting his offer was a bad idea. She quickly took her things in the room and locked herself in, thinking of plan to move out or hide her identity. She tried cutting her hair but its more torture than an answer to her problem. Zack didn't bother her all those time, thinking she was dead beat tired.

It was night time when she noticed and her tummy was growling. But she can't go outside to eat. She thought of jumping from the window to eat and get back later on but she doesn't know how she will enter the house after that.

"Hey dinner's ready." Zack knocked on her door and said. She decided to take a drastic measure and went outside of her room. She went to the dining table and ate while Zack sat in awe. The house was fairly large for a couple of gils. It had a table top and a small kitchen. The room was not that large, only occupying a single bedroom and an itty bitty small cabinet perfect for sleeping purposes. The living room was also small with only the table they are eating at as the furniture.

"Uhm…Roy." Zack said, interrupting her from eating. "Do you really need to wear that helmet while eating? It's disturbing."

"Sorry. I just want to feel the inner SOLDIER within me. I'm more relaxed with this thing in my head."

"Ow-key." Zack replied and continued to eat. He looked at her again and smiled after seeing a strand of brown perm hair at the nape of her neck.

After they ate, Zack called it a day and went to his room while Aerith took a liberty on washing the dishes. When she turned around to clean the table, she saw a beret at the table. She went to Zack's room and asked if it was his.

Zack opened the door only wearing a shirt and his boxers. "No that's not mine. You know beret can hide a fairly huge amount of hair much better than any other caps because of its loose like structure. I need to sleep, you too, we need to go there early in the morning."

Zack closed the door and went back on sleeping. Aerith on the other hand went to her room and took off her helmet. She put her hair on a high bun and put on the black beret she saw at the table earlier. Zack was right. It completely hid her hair except the bangs framing her face. A little more clip and she will look like a male with a feminine face. She took a couple pins on her bag and pinned down her bangs on the top of her head and put back her beret.

"Perfect! Now I don't need to put that helmet every single day."

Zack smiled and went back to his room after eavesdropping on Aerith's room.

[A/N]

I don't know what to say…. But thank you for reading this. I can't picture Aerith with a beret on her head without a single strand of hair showing up. I can picture a whole different character but her it's impossible. Oh wait! I just pictured her. Hahaha review please.


	3. Marsh

It was seven in the morning and everyone in ShinRa was busy as usual, attendants smiling as ever and Infantryman patrolling the area. There are few civilians roaming the place but it was a very normal scenery.

Zack was squatting near the huge staircase while his companion kept yawning and yawning every second. Zack patted his back to wake him up but instead, the impact of his pat threw the guy a few meters away from his spot. Zack hurriedly went to the guy's side and apologized.

While on the far end side of the building, a girl wearing a standard TURK uniform was smiling while looking at Zack and his friend. Her expression then changed upon an arrival of someone familiar to her. She greeted him and said, "Tseng it's rare to see you here early in the morning."

"I've heard that Zack was assigned to fight the Midgar Zoloms. If you wanted to come with them, why didn't you just asked? I'm sure Zack-"

The girl stretched her arms and smiled at Tseng. She looked backed at Zack and replied, "I have something important to do. You want to see your precious Cetra right?" She said with a smirk on her face. She met Tseng's glare and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulders as she walked away.

Tseng turned around and said under his breath, "Cissnei, I hope you're not keeping something from me." He then looked at Zack and his colleagues smiling and conversing with each other. "I need to find her soon."

"Cloud you're late." Zack shouted as he grabbed Cloud's head and ruffled it. Cloud tried to let go but Zack's grip was too powerful for him. Aerith on the other hand, just laughed and tried to break the two up.

After several minutes of strangling Cloud, Zack had his fun and let go of him and ordered his party to move out. Aerith happily nodded while Cloud glared at him while touching his neck. The party moved out of the ShinRa building and proceeded to their destination.

It took them almost an hour before they got outside of Midgar –Zack kept taking wrong turns and reading the maps wrong. Cloud even remarked why Zack don't remember the path outside of Midgar since he was working there not just for months but maybe for years. Zack defended his self and said that whenever he had missions it's either he had a helicopter to escort him or he had a superior with him.

"I'm soooo exhausted. I wonder when will we get there." Cloud shouted and fanned himself from the heat. Zack, irritated, didn't bother to pick a fight with him. The weather was fine and you can see a clear blue sky. You can clearly see that god is on their side on that day. It was nearing lunch when Zack called it a break. Their stomachs were already grumbling and they were walking for hours.

Cloud collapsed on the grass and was practically lying down to take a nap. Zack laughed at him and teased Cloud that he needs to be more energetic to be a SOLDIER. Cloud shushed him and let him pass for teasing him because he had no strength to play with his games. Zack threw him his lunch and proceeded to devour it like a kraken unleashed in the wilds.

Then it took awhile before Zack noticed something. He put down his food and surveyed his surroundings. It was too quiet, too quiet that it was so disturbing. Then it hit him, Roy was nowhere in sight. He jumped out of his seat and ran like crazy. He kept screaming and screaming his friend's name. But no one replied. Cloud even joined in and helped him find Roy.

After a few minutes, they found Roy lying there unconscious on a flower field a couple of meters from their eating spot. Zack collapsed from fear while Cloud hurriedly went to Aerith's side to wake her up. He slapped and rocked her but it was completely useless. Nothing can wake her up. Cloud then turned to Zack to ask for his help but unfortunately Zack has his own business. Cloud got irritated and threw a nearby rock at Zack and ordered him to get closer.

Aerith woke up and whispered to Cloud that she needs food. Cloud turned into white from shock. Roy collapsed from hunger. How laughable. Zack quickly regained his senses and laughed at Aerith's action. After they had their fun, they quickly went to the marsh and went to finish their job.

"Ready when you are." Cloud readied his rifle and said to Zack. Aerith gulp from the sides and tighten the grip of the sword she was carrying. "Roy, get your head up or else you might lose it." Zack reminded her with his casual smile.

"I'm not that useless you know." Aerith reminded him and positioned herself in her battle stance. Zack laughed and patted her, "Yeah I forgot who I am talking to. You did join in SOLDIER even though you are not allowed to." Aerith was in shocked. She tried to stop Zack and asked him on what he meant. But Zack was already in battle.

"Zack tell me what you know." Aerith shouted while she approached Zack in the marsh. But Zack was busy slashing the Midgar Zoloms on his sight. While Aerith was busy evading and making her way to Zack's side, she didn't notice but a Midgar Zolom was inches from her and ready to attack.

"Ah!"

"Roy, get your head in the game!" Cloud shouted while he loaded bullets on his rifle. Aerith bowed her head and noticed some Midgar Zoloms on the back of Cloud. "Watch out," she said as she slashed them off.

"I guess we are even," Cloud said as he approached her. Aerith smiled at him and get back to her battle stance. "It's really hard to fight with swords. I wished I brought my rod here," Aerith thought while she tightened her grip.

Aerith battle more than 20 Midgar Zoloms that day. No one could ever think that a single person can do that. Well it's not actually surprising since they only killed the offspring ones which is only the same height as theirs. A couple of big ones came along rushing at them for killing their babies but it was no sweat for them.

With Zack's furnished techniques and Cloud's rifle accuracy everything was a breeze. Aerith even wondered if she was even needed there. The battle lasted for a couple of hours and it was already night time and yet they were still fighting like crazy.

"Take that!" Zack said as he slashed the Zolom in half. He turned his back and helped Cloud, who was surrounded, by doing the 'Rush Assault' move taught by his master. He pumped his fist up in the air then another batch of Zoloms head on their way.

"Roy can you help us here for a sec?" Cloud shouted while firing his rifle on one of the Zoloms to create an opening for Aerith. Aerith nodded and slashed the two Zoloms she was fighting. She dashed on their sides and went back to back with them.

"How many Zoloms did we kill today?" Zack turned his head to his friends and asked.

"I don't know but it's not like we could stop." Cloud answered with a smirk on his face.

"Guys didn't Director Lazard completely stated not to kill every Midgar Zolom here?" Aerith reminded them as the two rushed to fight the Zoloms once again.

It took them a couple of hours on fighting the rest of the Zoloms. It was already dark and almost all of their energies were drained from the battles. Zack and the others were lying down on the grass panting and resting their bodies.

"I think we killed them all." Zack said with his usual smile on his face and laughed. "Director will get mad at us for sure."

"He did say we just need to decrease their numbers." Cloud added and sat up and looked at the sky. "I guess we will have no paycheck this time as well."

"Well at least we have fun right, Roy?" Zack looked at Aerith and waited for her response. He stood up and shouted, "Don't tell me you collapsed again?"

"No I didn't. I'm just admiring the night sky. I never saw the sky like this before."

"Well the night sky in Midgar sure are different from this one." Cloud said and smiled. "Nibelheim's night sky looks like this as well."

"It feels like Midgar's skies are always shrouded with darkness. Everyone there is living with pain." Aerith said and curled on her knees. "You can tell there is no peace on Midgar. I blame the Mako and ShinRa for it."

"That's strange." Zack said and looked at Aerith. "If you hate ShinRa so much why did you join SOLDIER?"

"I don't know….."

"I joined SOLDIER because Sephiroth was in SOLDIER. I thought becoming like him will make me stronger. But in the end, I'm not even strong enough to be a SOLDIER." Cloud said and clenched his fists. Zack shrugged his friend's words and hugged the two of them. "Don't get so sentimental on this kind of things. Everyone had a reason and no one should care what it is."

"You're the one who opened this topic Zack."Aerith reminded him and laughed. "Tell me why did you join SOLDIER?"

"They have someone that I cherish." Zack said in a serious tone. Both Cloud and Aerith were shocked. They never saw him so serious before. Zack then quickly changed his expression and smiled. "I wanted to become a hero and to become one I need to be in ShinRa."

Cloud chuckled and ruffled Zack's head playfully. Aerith noticed that Cloud was showing his sympathy to Zack in his own way. But one thing bothered her that day. There is something Zack knew about her that she knew she didn't tell him.

What does he know and how did he know it?

The next day, Zack and the others report back to Director Lazard on how their job went. Director Lazard pinched his nose and sighed. "Didn't I tell you not to kill all of them?"

"Well…. They kept coming and coming. We can't just run away from them." Zack tried to reason out. "It's not what a SOLDIER would do."

The director let go of a deep sigh again and smiled. "Well I know this is going to happen so here is your payment for the mission." Zack jumped in joy while Cloud exhaled after finding out that they were off the hook.

"You're dismissed."

[A/N]

I still suck at fighting scenes but nonetheless this is my most descriptive chapter yet.

Sorry for slow update. But I promise you that if I regained my eagerness to write I will update much faster than before.

NEXT UP: The Girl With Materia


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